Mmmmm...shiny

November 26, 2004 12:47 AM

Endless AOL CDs can fill your mailbox, but some people seem to love them. Others have found creative outlets for their AOL junk mail. Still more people simply love to collect the buggers, although some for grander purposes than others.
posted by rooftop secrets (18 comments total)

Some previously posted (but very applicable) nuggets:

The AOL CD Preservation Guild & Museum
No More AOL CDs (warning...most annoyingly designed webpage ever)
posted by rooftop secrets at 12:48 AM on November 26, 2004

Oh lord...

Still - I love the throne...
posted by mattr at 1:11 AM on November 26, 2004

ummmm...yeah. I said that those were previously linked:

Some previously posted (but very applicable) nuggets

The ones in the actual FPP are all new to my knowledge.
posted by rooftop secrets at 1:14 AM on November 26, 2004

yep sorry - didn't notice your post on preview...I took ages to write that!
posted by mattr at 1:18 AM on November 26, 2004

Get an old satellite dish (big one) line the dish with them point it at the sun and you have one hell of a cigarette lighter. This would probably do a lot of damage to my pipe.

no doubt.
posted by three blind mice at 1:31 AM on November 26, 2004

According to this
very scientific, very reliable survey, 40% of AOL subscribers don't have computers, so these CDs may have a broader appeal that one would imagine.
posted by elgilito at 2:22 AM on November 26, 2004

They go right in the garbage in my house. Still, my girlfriend becomes alarmed every time we get one.

"What is this? Did you order software?"
posted by meh at 4:47 AM on November 26, 2004

Sparky writes: There are many very good sited for you to use for research. Just about any search engine will bring up sites, just by entering common words like "AOL collecting". (I happen to like www.google.com.)

As useful as this advice may be, I'm willing to bet a large amount of money that the type of person who would want to find out more about the myriad AOL cds has used an Internet search engine before.
posted by Kiell at 9:12 AM on November 26, 2004

So these AOL CDs, they vib..... ah fuck, sorry.

Anyone else notice how Earthlink is taking a page from AOL's "Innundate The Entire Planet With CDs" approach? Its been awhile since I've seen a stray AOL CD out in the wild but I've seen a lot of Earthlink CDs scattered all over the place.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:29 AM on November 26, 2004

I haven't seen an AOL CD in the mail in years. jinx
posted by furiousthought at 10:31 AM on November 26, 2004

The AOL CD throne is awesome!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 10:50 AM on November 26, 2004

That is a nice fishbike fandango_matt. But how were you able to get CDs in the 1960s when those pictures were taken?
posted by euphorb at 11:11 AM on November 26, 2004

My 2-and-a-half year old son loves to play with any CD that comes close to his hands (mostly my personal CD collection).
I love when I get an AOL CD because I know my son will have a pretty good use of it.
posted by dov3 at 1:21 PM on November 26, 2004

I sent one back to AOL about a year ago with a request to not send anything else to our address. It's worked so far. *knocks wood*. Nice fish-bike.
posted by Dick Paris at 2:56 PM on November 26, 2004

fandango_matt, cool fish, cool camera. :)
posted by dabitch at 6:29 PM on November 26, 2004

In India, it's quite common to see autorickshaws decorated with a hanging CD or two. Sometimes, there are calligraphic decorations on the um ..shiny side. I'm sure they would love an outpouring of AOL cds :)
posted by dhruva at 7:22 PM on November 26, 2004

What are these "phone lines" I keep hearing so much about? Dial-up? Dial up what? I don't get it. My cable box doesn't have a jack that will fit these mythical wires....
posted by Debaser626 at 9:47 AM on November 29, 2004

Funny thread! My sister collects AOL CDs. Every time I get one in the mail I save it and give it to her.
posted by Bag Man at 1:23 PM on November 29, 2004